Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao has lost interest in a crossover boxing rules match involving former UFC champion Conor McGregor.
Rumors about legendary boxer Manny Pacquiao and Conor McGregor facing off in 2021 have been rampant. Many experts pointed out that both fighters shared the same management agency and could very well already be in talks.
Unfortunately, these plans seem to have been derailed by one Dustin Poirier. McGregor’s TKO loss to Poirier at UFC 257 was a set back for his return to MMA but also for his boxing plans.
As McGregor now looks to get a third fight against Poirier, Manny Pacquiao seems to have moved on. The Filipino boxer is now in talks to face the WBC lightweight champion, Ryan Garcia.
Ryan Garcia suggets his dream is becoming a reality 😳
(via KingRyan, JCGdesigns) pic.twitter.com/NLWydC91BR
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) January 25, 2021
Pacquiao hasn’t fought since 2019 when he defeated Keith Thurman to win the WBA super welterweight title. There is a pretty significant weight difference that will probably force Garcia to move up in weight but the fight is definitely feasible.
President of MP Promotions Sean Gibbons, had a few things to say to The Sun about McGregor.
“”It looked like Conor looked past Dustin and got knocked out,” Pacquiao’s manager Sean Gibbons told The Sun. “Maybe he had the Senator on his mind. I think the demand for the fight is not there presently.”
“Conor has some business to clean up and handle in the UFC,” said Gibbons. “It’s a bummer, it could have been fun for as long as it lasted.”
During his post-fight press conference, McGregor talked about the Pacquiao fight and how it was “as good as done”.
“There’s none of them leg kicks in boxing,” Conor McGregor said. “I always did want to focus on my MMA career, but I’m also open you know what I mean? I’ll just see what happens… I don’t know what will happen. That Manny (Pacquiao) fight was happening, you know what I mean? It was as good as done.
“I just want to get in and get back into a bounce, especially against that style of fighter and not take those kicks. Don’t play with those kicks. It’s just a motherf—ker to take. ”
It looks like the fight is certainly not happening this year. But if they come out victorious in their next fights, the window to make the fight happen will still be open.
